Cleveronix A different way of telling a story

Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Zev As brutal and grim as this movie was, I was never convinced of its realism. In addition, I questioned the goal of the movie.If you read books like Bettelheim's 'Informed Heart' (a psychological analysis of surviving in the camp from a survivor), they will forever change what you think you know about concentration camps. The psychological torture there was so systematic and extreme, that not only were people's layers of social behaviour and their moral compasses completely torn apart and not allowed a millimeter of breathing space, even their basic instincts were altered.Which is why, when I watch someone like Steve Buscemi pretend to be a concentration camp inmate by swearing and throwing his attitude around as if he were an inmate of Alcatraz, I find it impossible to take the movie seriously.And then there is the question of making the Sonderkommandos the protagonists of a movie. It is hard not to judge them, but if you take the above into account, it is also hard to judge them. So, putting aside the question of judgment, here we have people forced to do horrible things to their own people, human beings in a shameful state worse than death, hating themselves for it with every breath, yet unable to keep themselves from surviving.To display real people in this extreme state of shame and remind everyone of what they had to go through, is like all those pictures showing naked Jews in concentration camps. You had better have a very good reason to publicly display their past embarrassments. Does this movie have such a reason? Just because one group decided to fight back, does that make them heroes and make this story worth retelling? I much preferred the man about to be gassed who fought against the Sonderkommando and decided to be gassed with his integrity intact.It is an insulting thing when movie producers and directors look for Jewish heroes by searching for the ones that picked up a gun, brushing aside the rest of the Jews as sheep. Sure, fighting back is important and even heroic. But it doesn't justify anything and everything. What about heroics of the soul? So, as grim and soul-searching as this movie wants to be, and despite the power in some of the scenes, I question the subject matter.

mmmn_mdhansen If it weren't such great story, i would give rate this movie as a 2. The cast has many great actors (Keitel, Buscemi), but they are overshadowed by the range of terrible popcorn comedy actors (Arquette, Sorvino). The casting overall was terrible. The acting, surprisingly even from the good actors, was mediocre at best. I blame this mostly on the directing as the lines ALL seem to be forced. It is no wonder that this movie went almost straight to DVD. Its just too bad that they had waste such a great story, and disgrace the people who committed such brave acts during one of the most barbaric acts in the history of the world. If you want to learn about a great rebellion that took place in Auschwitz and you don't want to read a book about it, then watch this movie. But just beware that the movie sucks.

Bugs Wisely When the doctor barfs near the end in response to Harvey's depraved indifference? so did i feel sick to my stomach. This movie is symbolic of your government and what goes on in the world to this day. Were it not for your hypocrisy, no one would be dieing. how do you speak of delusion? To oppose hypocrisy in the United States today is like branding yourself a Jew in 1942 Nazi Germany; like opposing industrialization in 1900. funny the odds were stacked against David Arquette, and he exceeded the challenge. Number One on my list of things a Nazi would say? You did it to yourself. "No one without a death wish would choose to resist" is symbolic of your acceptance of hypocrisy and the cost of non compliance.so mesmerizing its scary

plutus1947 BEGIN SPOILER: The Grey Zone is based on the actual events in Auschwitz during WW2. Teams of Hungarian Jewish prisoners were forced to work in the crematoriums to dispose of the bodies of the Jewish victims of the Nazi regime during WW2.END SPOILER This film in its own way is as harrowing as Spielberg's Schindler's List, but concentrates on one group of prisoners and their captors.This film is just one more in an extremely long list of films which deals with the horrific events in German concentration camps during WW2.Although the film cannot be construed as the best film depicting the horrors of WW2 ever made, it is nevertheless a reminder of what went on in German occupied countries during those dark days from 1939 to 1945.It was well made and well acted and I for one was reminded of what the human race is actually capable of. I was particularly impressed with the performances of Steve Buscemi and Harvey Keitel. Although Keitel is not one of my favourite actors, he made the part his own and I could easily equate him with the man he was portraying, Eric Muhsfeldt.There may be some who feel that this type of film has outlived its usefulness and there is no need to continue to remind us of these black historical events.To anyone who does feel this way I would say that these reminders must never stop until there is peace throughout the world, Firstly because there are still many, many atrocities still occurring in this world which must be addressed, and those responsible must be brought to book and the free world must jointly do everything in their power to put an end to these regimes.Secondly, Although it is over 60 years since the horrors were first brought to the attention of the world, there are millions who were not born or know nothing or very little about how the human race can be, and still are, so cruel and evil against its fellow man.Anyone who watches The Grey Zone I feel will be moved at the plight of these Hungarians who were forced into doing what they had to do.Plutus1947